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Mighty No. 9 Already Delivering the Blue Bomber Goods

Comcept has many months to go with development on Mighty No. 9, but the early footage is promising.

May. 30 2014

Posted by: Patrick

In This Episode:

Mighty No. 9

97 Comments

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voiceinject

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When does this version of the game come out?

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geirr

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The lack of pixel-art is a little heartbreaking to me. Otherwise it looks and sort of sounds like its on the way to become a Megaman-ish game.

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vigorousjammer

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@charlee_coco said:

@vigorousjammer: Hi-Res 2D hand drawn sprites are super expensive to produce. It's gotten to the point where it's much more expensive to do (good) 2D than 3D. It's actually been that way for a while now.

Less and less people/designers/devs know how to work in 2D, and the ones that do and are good are highly sought after and as such cost more to employ. On top of that, everything has to be done from the ground up, so for instance being able to play as multiple characters in something like Mighty No 9 (or MegaMan Powered Up) is easy because you're just applying the animations to a model instead of having to draw a bunch of new animations for an existing character. Similar deal with something like alternate costumes, ie in a 3D game it's a model swap, in a 2D game that sort of thing doesn't generally exist because it requires the entire character to be redone.

Yeah... when you lay it out like that, it really does make sense.
Still, I guess I figured Inafune would have the talent, and since he said in the video that he was hiring people who worked with him previously to work at Comcept on Mighty No. 9, I figured they would have had some experience with creating 2D art & animation, and may have been planning to put some 2D love into the game.
I suppose it's a little unrealistic to expect a beautifully animated 2D game at a little under $3 million budget, but I guess I just set my expectations a bit too high, based on the talent involved.

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Charlee_CoCo

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@vigorousjammer: Hi-Res 2D hand drawn sprites are super expensive to produce. It's gotten to the point where it's much more expensive to do (good) 2D than 3D. It's actually been that way for a while now.

Less and less people/designers/devs know how to work in 2D, and the ones that do and are good are highly sought after and as such cost more to employ. On top of that, everything has to be done from the ground up, so for instance being able to play as multiple characters in something like Mighty No 9 (or MegaMan Powered Up) is easy because you're just applying the animations to a model instead of having to draw a bunch of new animations for an existing character. Similar deal with something like alternate costumes, ie in a 3D game it's a model swap, in a 2D game that sort of thing doesn't generally exist because it requires the entire character to be redone.

Looking at the new Guilty Gear game, it's obvious that you can do quite a bit with 3D models, or even replicate a 2D look.

Also Capcom canceled 4 MegaMan games in a short period of time. I really doubt they're looking into dumping anymore into the IP at the moment. If they were going to do anything they'd would for sure wait till MN9 has blown over.

@charlee_coco: you must not follow how strict Nintendo is with their IP including music. If there is money to be made, I'm sure Capcom would sue.

What does Nintendo have to do with anything? We're talking about Capcom, and btw there is no money to be made. Comcept is start up company working on a game that was crowd funded. It's not like Capcom can get that Kickstarter money by suing them. That's not how it works.

It's entirely possible that Inafune had a deal with Capcom similar to the one Harmonix had with Activision when they went off to make Rock Band.

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thomasonfa

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@charlee_coco: you must not follow how strict Nintendo is with their IP including music. If there is money to be made, I'm sure Capcom would sue.

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Edited By TehPickle

I should probably preface the following by saying I never really had much time for Megaman...

This looks really dull.

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Edited By vigorousjammer

@redhotchilimist: Reading? Pshhh, whatever! I watched their Kickstarter video and got excited.

Saying that I didn't care enough about the project because I didn't read every paragraph of the Kickstarter's pitch is disingenuous to how people actually consume video game previews. Your logic is flawed.

Well, despite that, perhaps Capcom will notice how many people wanted a new hand-drawn Mega Man game, and they'll make one themselves, with or without Inafune. Still, I doubt Capcom has any more faith in the Mega Man fanbase, so that's also pretty unlikely.

Edit: Also, I just went onto the KickStarter, and read through it.
All I'm seeing is concept art like the one I posted, and terms like "Classic 2D Action", as well as this... and I quote: "Mighty No. 9 is an all-new Japanese side-scrolling action game that takes the best aspects of the 8- and 16-bit era classics you know and love, and transforms them with modern tech, fresh mechanics, and fan input"

You could argue that "modern tech" meant polygons, but that's not how I interpreted it. I simply assumed it meant it would use the hardware to create some nice, high res art, especially since it said "the best aspects of the 8 and 16-bit era", and sprite-based artwork is what I consider one of the best aspects of that era, for sure.

As far as I can tell, they never outright said one way or the other, but I feel like they heavily banked on nostalgia for those classic games, and that's why people are probably getting upset that it's now polygonal... because it was heavily implied that it wasn't going to be.

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Redhotchilimist

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@vigorousjammer: But they said on their kickstarter page right from the beginning that they were going with polygonal models. That's why the character designs are the way they are, like the concept art where beck's model disassembled and reassembled as something else, like a drill. You have no reason to be disappointed if you cared enough to read their original pitch, and if you didn't, why do you care enough to be disappointed?

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Edited By ADAMWD

This looks like an XBLA game from about 6 years ago. Completely bland and forgettable.

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Edited By vigorousjammer

@deusx said:

Dude are you serious? Do you even know how games get made? Come on!

Yeah I realize it's alpha footage, but despite that, I don't think they would create polygonal models if they were just going to dump them for sprite-based stuff once they get further into development.

I'm really mostly just super disappointed that it's going to be polygonal. It's not at all what I was expecting, based on their initial KickStarter pitch, and I highly doubt it'll get changed.
It's just like how I was disappointed by the Turtles in Time re-make that they released on XBLA.

I feel like polygons are cool for some stuff, like shooters, action games, and things with more realistic art styles... but for these kind of games, where half of the appeal is the character design and the cartoon art style, I vastly prefer hand-drawn sprites.

Sure, the other half of the appeal is the gameplay, and it looks like it could be fun, but it also doesn't look like it does anything much different from other Mega Man style platformers. So, even if they beefed up the lighting and post processing effects, why should I even play this?

It's like when they released Cave Story 3D on the 3DS, and completely changed the look of the game just to have things be polygonal. It kind of ruins the experience, and the entire tone of a game, and that seems to be what's happening here.

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@vigorousjammer: this game has to scale down to 3DS-capable and up to Gaming PC/PS4/Xbone levels of quality, so it's not surprising that the alpha footage shown here is somewhere in the middle. This is also the first footage we've seen of a game that is a year away from release; plenty of time to add pretty post-effects. If you watch carefully, it's clear this video was meant to show gameplay progress; No.9 is shown just barely making jumps onto normal platforms and moving boxes thanks to his new dash ability, which tells us that the platforming will tax the player's awareness of moving objects as well as informing us that the team is creating levels with the base expectation that players will use No.9's dash.

I was pleased with everything I saw in this trailer. It's clear that Comcept know how to design a platformer and also know how to make a challenging game without resorting to Gotcha tricks; I've played a few too many pretty platformers that only show awareness of additional player movement abilities for Secret Areas and small almost copy-pasted sections that give a nod towards the power given to the player.

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Damn, compare that footage to the concept art...

No Caption Provided

I mean, now... not only is the game polygonal, but the lighting and effects don't even look half as good.

I wasn't expecting them to get to the level of quality shown in the concept art, but I was at least hoping for something approaching that.

Let's hope they still get there eventually.

Dude are you serious? Do you even know how games get made? Come on!

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Some comments show why it is dangerous to show in-game footage to the consumer before the game is finished (or at least in open-beta).

That's not an alpha. That's just game development.

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This has my attention because of Inafune's involvement. He should have this formula pretty fine tuned by now. It'll be very interesting to see if Capcom responds with any sort of Mega Man announcement if this does well.

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Edited By Hitzel

Jeeshe people are being so picky over alpha footage.

The only concern I have is how tight the controls will end up feeling, and I don't think that's a problem considering who is leading the project.

And that dash mechanic does look really fun. Music is also really good.

*Edit*

@vigorousjammer I can see what you're saying about the choice to go 2.5D instead of 2D. Perhaps as the graphics become more polished, that feeling will go away. I could see a splash of cell-shading making the graphics feel more like Capcom's recent fighting games, and that's a good thing.

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Sunjammer

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Concept art isn't the same as a target render.

That said, dang if this doesn't look like a Unity game.

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I backed because I thought it would be nice to see Inafune given the financial independence to produce a modern take on 'Mega man'. Now I doubt he could do that even if he wanted to, as every community vote is won by the "We want it more like original Mega Man" backers.

The video is slightly worrying to me as something about the movement seems off for reasons I can't pin down but there is plenty of time left before the game is finished. The music is pretty great.

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Music's good.

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@dubradditz57: Personally, the enthusiasm came from the concept art they showed for the game. From that, I was expecting some sprite-based, high-resolution Mega Man-style game (Kind of like Rayman Origins or Street Fighter II HD Remix.), and it would have been made by the creator of Mega Man, himself.
A Mega Man game hasn't been done in that style before, and even if the gameplay was very similar, I think if they stuck to that concept, I would still be excited for it right now.

However, now that they've released this trailer, it's obvious they haven't, and I'm no longer excited. This really doesn't seem like the game they were pitching on their Kickstarter, and however it turns out, I'm honestly pretty glad I didn't fund it.

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Giant Bomb's 2015 Most Litigious Game of the Year

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dubradditz57

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I don't understand the enthusiasm people have for this game.

We have had so much Megaman by now. Hell, indie games that are a rip off of mega man are high in abundance. There are already so many good Megaman games that do the same thing. Then they even made Mega Man 9 and 10, both fun games that scratched that nostalgia itch. But do people really need more? They are hyped for this guy to just make a game that, from the video, is still exactly Mega man?

Ultimately, people have funded a game they are excited for and this is a good thing. I just don't get the appeal.

Then again I own like 10 armored core games, so who am I to judge.

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willylo

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@vigorousjammer: I was just thinking the same thing... It's still early but hopefully it will look like the art did. I'm not really enjoying the visuals in it right now.

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Can't wait for it to come out. I'm in!

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deactivated-5ecfb31b61925

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I'd buy that for a 15 dollar.

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Levels seem really flat and uninspired, & the running just seems awkward. Higher stride count on his running would give the impression of a reactive character rather than clunky with big stride lengths.

Mechanics look to be coming along nicely though.

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Insertcoins

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The game is scheduled for an April 2015 release which is almost an entire year away. Why is everyone ragging on the lighting and effects? I'm still really excited to see what changes and how the actual final product looks.

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This looks really promising, i really don't understand some of the hate going its way but I hardly care because this looks *fun*

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Wow, how is this not infringement?

Well, they aren't using any characters from the megaman games. The concept of the megaman games themselves can't be copyrighted.

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deactivated-64ba3d2213a4d

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I'm getting a good Megaman Powered Up vibe off this. Makes me wish it was going to have a level editor like that game did.

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Edited By frymillstrum

Wow, how is this not infringement?

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@mr_creeper: Yep, alpha footage of an unfinished game no one outside of the company has played is all it takes to judge a game as mediocre

Yep, because it's irrational for people to form opinions about a project from a trailer.

------

Thanks for your thoughts on the game, @seeric.

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Edited By Devil240Z

glad I didn't get hyped for this. then again I never really had any love for mega man other than the music.

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I like the dash ability, and the music is awesome.

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Looks a bit sluggish, or maybe it's something weird with the animations. Either way, this trailer gives me the impression that the game isn't as responsive as you'd like from something trying to be not-Mega Man.

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Haters. Gonna. Hate. This shit looks fun!!

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Damn, compare that footage to the concept art...

No Caption Provided

I mean, now... not only is the game polygonal, but the lighting and effects don't even look half as good.

I wasn't expecting them to get to the level of quality shown in the concept art, but I was at least hoping for something approaching that.

Let's hope they still get there eventually.

I was gonna post this picture if someone else didn't. i was expecting a good looking megaman clone with some cool new ideas. I think it's just the fact that its polygons hurts me from the art side and it's a LOT slower than i imagined, which hurts my gameplay hopes.

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That's some real Mega Man-ass music going on there. I love it.

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so glad the creator of Mega Man is getting his chance to make a new game, with his company, since Capcom wasn't on board with his ideas. can't wait for Mighty No. 9!

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@bbillade said:

I'm really disappointed it is a 2.5D polygonal game. I would have much rather seen a sprite based game. Too bad they couldn't make use of Ubisoft's UbiArt engine. Could have looked identical to the amazing concept art. Oh well, maybe the sequel.

Gah! Yes! that would have been the perfect engine for this game.
I'm guessing Ubisoft is keeping it internalized, though... or if not, that the licencing fees would be too much for a small indie title such as this.

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Edited By PurplePartyRobot

Looks pretty good so far. Game looks like a nice throwback to the original Megaman days. I personally like Megaman X more than the original series, but I'll still give this one a go.

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I don't have any opinion on the footage, because I was too busy closing my eyes and bopping my head to the music. :bel-air

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Edited By Arcloxs
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I'm really disappointed it is a 2.5D polygonal game. I would have much rather seen a sprite based game. Too bad they couldn't make use of Ubisoft's UbiArt engine. Could have looked identical to the amazing concept art. Oh well, maybe the sequel.

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Haven't played a Mega Man game in forever; were they always this mediocre?

I think (hope) it might just be a result of this still being alpha footage and level design not being finalized. It looked like they only showed off two stages in the trailer, one with water/ice and one with explosives and conveyor belts and I'd guess that these two are the 'most finished' or close to it.

The design of both the boss fight and the stage itself in the ice area actually looked pretty good whenever it was shown with the main gimmick of the area (freezing pipes) being used in platform traversal and even by the boss himself. On the other hand, the fire area had a lot of narrow corridors and big rooms with mines and enemies just scattered about and the boss was barely shown at all compared to the ice boss (he doesn't even attack).

My guess is that the ice area's level design and boss are both relatively close to completion while the fire area's unique obstacles/enemies (ex: exploding barrels, crates on conveyor belts, landmines) are done being created, but their actual implementation and the design of the level itself (not to mention the boss fight) is still far from completed.

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I'm glad to see my $20 in funding is going towards making a great game.

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@biospank said:

@gorkamorkaorka said:

Is there a word for "We couldn't make the game we wanted for legal reasons but we love the original IP so we're going to make one like it?" because I'm seeing tons of games like these nowadays. Nothing wrong with it, it's just interesting.

yeah, its called a clone. You might have heard the term monster hunter clone?

This is more of a spiritual successor than a clone, especially since the original creator is involved. Dark Souls isn't a clone of Demon's Souls is it?

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Edited By jeffgoldblum

@viking_funeral said:

@vigorousjammer said:

Damn, compare that footage to the concept art...

No Caption Provided

I mean, now... not only is the game polygonal, but the lighting and effects don't even look half as good.

I wasn't expecting them to get to the level of quality shown in the concept art, but I was at least hoping for something approaching that.

Let's hope they still get there eventually.

No Caption Provided

Alpha tends to look very different from the final product.

No Caption Provided

To further put things in perspective here's some concept art from Epic Mickey:

No Caption Provided

And here's an image of the finished product:

I'd say Inafune and Comcept are doing a pretty good job of delivering on their promises so far.

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Edited By viking_funeral

Damn, compare that footage to the concept art...

No Caption Provided

I mean, now... not only is the game polygonal, but the lighting and effects don't even look half as good.

I wasn't expecting them to get to the level of quality shown in the concept art, but I was at least hoping for something approaching that.

Let's hope they still get there eventually.

No Caption Provided

Alpha tends to look very different from the final product.